The Maine Name Game

For many years, Coach and I have dreamed of purchasing a summer cottage… somewhere we could go with our family and friends and just chill. Somewhere we could sip margaritas while watching the sun set over the horizon,

not too far from home, but far enough to be “away” from our daily hectic lives. But first we had to narrow our geographical location-within driving distance-north or south? We started south-Martha’s Vineyard, truly one of our favorite places on the planet-we vacationed there for many years, and our son was married there in 2016.

But it would have been a logistical nightmare with the traffic and the ferry rides to take on a weekly basis, so we ruled it out. Moving north to Cape Cod, the same held true-between Boston and Cape traffic, the weekend traveling would have been prohibitive. Looking northbound, we finally landed on Maine-the Kennebunk area, to be exact, where our daughter was married in 2015.

At first we looked inland-our initial plan was to find a log cabin on a lake or river. A fixer-upper, something with character, age and charm…with a water view. So, we started the search last spring, hoping to discover that charming log cabin deep in the woods, right on the water. We viewed cabins and cottages and little old houses-primarily fixer-uppers-like this one in Kennebunk- that was over 200K!!

Some were on the water…rivers and ponds and lakes. But, as much as I enjoyed the looks of those bodies of water, they just didn’t have the feel of the ocean-is there anything else like the sound of pounding waves crashing the shoreline?

AND, having lived in and worked on an old house-mid 1800’s…

for the past three decades-it eventually dawned on me that I no longer had that fixer-upper spirit in me! The thought of tearing down walls and repairing old roofs and replacing leaking plumbing and knocking down giant icicles sent shudders down my spine-what could be less restful and peaceful than that?! So, shifting gears, we searched nearer to the ocean, but lets just say that with each bedroom you add and each 1/4 mile you move closer to those pounding waves, the price increases $100K! And then finally, we found it by chance…a drive-by of sorts. A charming “Cape Cod” style cottage-brand spankin’ new–not on the water, but in a nature preserve overlooking towering pines and birch trees…this is the view from our back kitchen door : )

situated on close to a hundred acres of pristine Maine forest bordering The Eastern Trail…10 minutes from Dock Square in Kennebunkport, 10 minutes to Goose Rocks Beach, 15 minutes to Wells and Ogunquit and 20 minutes to Portland. Easy enough to enjoy all that coastal Maine has to offer, but tranquil enough to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Maine countryside. Oh, and if you’re in the antiques biz, there’s the Arundel Flea Market just down the road (and you know who is chomping at the bit to get in on the action there!) Since we purchased the unfinished cottage back in January, we have eagerly watched the progression- slowly at first with the never-ending snowfall

but now at almost warp speed towards completion. Yesterday, we checked in, only to discover that where there used to be piles of lumber, we now have a kitchen

and bathrooms and floors and the walls have been painted and I didn’t have to do any of it : ) And, most importantly, a matching SHED. What’s the big deal about a shed, you ask?Well, that’s a story for another day…but for now, I’ve created Pinterest pages for every single space and have been buying “essentials”-

there’s a lot required in outfitting a 3 bedroom cottage!! Thank goodness for HomeGoods and Target! So, over the next few weeks while we await our completion and move-in date, I will be sharing the spaces and hoping to get some ideas from you-we will be using hand-me-downs and refurbished pieces for now until we settle into our new digs. But first up, we need a name for our new summer home-apparently that’s a thing. Something catchy, not too beachy-since we’re not right on the water. We came up with a few on our drive home last night, but we are looking for suggestions (since ours were pretty lame-not much rhymes with Arundel : ). So if you have an idea, send it my way! And if you happen to be in the Kennebunkport area and want to take a look for yourself at these gorgeous new cottages…there are so many styles and sizes to choose from…the address is 1976 Portland Road in Arundel…and if you do, tell them Sue from Country Design Home sent you! Have a memorable Memorial Day Weekend everyone! xoxoxo Susan

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about the blogger

I am a country stylist and decorator. I am a folk artist, avid DIY'er, fab furniture flipper and an all-around handy-woman. The power tools in our house belong to me! Daisies are my favorite flower, summer is my favorite season, pinot grigio my drink of choice and I love anything nautical or by the sea. Family comes first, everything else is just décor.